Beyond the Noise: the cultural (or subcultural) politics of Irish surf films

Abstract

This article analyses the subcultural politics of Irish surf films, focusing on Dark Side of the Lens and Beyond the Noise. Irish surf films emerged in the early 2000s and have since become a successful genre. The article first discusses the concept of cultural politics and its importance in understanding the political economy of Irish surf films, highlighting the tensions between the professional world of surfing as a sport, and those who regard surfing as a cultural practice. It then examines both films in order to show how Ireland is understood as an ‘alternative’ surf destination in the transnational world of surfing, and how the island is imagined as a place of ‘escape’. The article shows how, whilst appearing to oppose commercialisation, surf films unintentionally contribute to the commodification of the West of Ireland and align with Tourism Ireland’s marketing campaigns for the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’.